The purchase decision should not be based solely on emotion, opinion, or word-of-mouth recommendations by a neighbour or a family member, such as “Uncle Bob”.

AJAC is here to help with consumer tips and tactics that will enable buyers to make an informed purchase decision.

Today, members of the media were invited to attend a “Consumer Tips and Tactic” hands-on tutorial at the Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Road to learn some of the trade secrets that make up AJAC’s unique comparative-testing program.

We’re talking about the annual AJAC Awards “TestFest”. It’s a comprehensive process of back-to-back testing and evaluation that no other awards program follows: a four-day intensive series of back-to-back vehicle comparisons that takes place at the end of October each year – all under the same conditions.

This testing process is praised by the industry for its objectivity and professionalism.  Dennis DesRosiers of DesRosiers Automotive Consultants has commented: “(AJAC’s) testing process is very thorough and fair involving journalists who evaluate a very wide spectrum of vehicles through the year and thus know how to evaluate a complex product”.

Today, our AJAC experts shared that process with a number of their colleagues in the mainstream media so that they, in turn, could pass along the tips and tactics to their own readers and viewers. In addition, the AJAC web site was demonstrated as a great consumer resource for readily available comparison data from the “TestFest” evaluation program that helps take the guesswork out of buying a new car, truck or SUV.

Need to compare a Ford Fiesta to a Mazda2 or a Volkswagen Jetta?  How about a BMW 5 Series Sedan, with a Cadillac CTS Coupe  or a Mercedes-Benz E350 Sedan? 

Look no further than the AJAC website: http://www.ajac.ca/ > Car of the Year > Vehicle Comparisons where data on items such as fuel consumption, emissions, cargo capacity, braking, acceleration and safety features exist for all models tested from 2005 to present.

A heads-up:   as soon as AJAC announces the winners of the 2011 AJAC Awards at TestFest on Friday, October 29, 2010, all of the comparative test data compiled by our AJAC journalist experts during the four-day back-to-back testing event will be posted to the website for use as a consumer resource.